For the national handball team, which has the ambition to fight for World Cup medals, there were somewhat embarrassing numbers at halftime when Sweden and Norway met in the first match in the intermediate round on Wednesday evening.
The blue-yellow deficit on the scoreboard in Dortmund was then 11–24. When the gold favorite Norway aired the squad in the second half, the loss figures stood at 26–39.
Norway was Norway. And we were nowhere near it, says leftist Jamina Roberts the next day.
Outplayed in the Olympic bronze medal match
How did you feel after the big loss?
Of course you leave with a feeling of shame. At the same time, it's not the first time we've lost by a lot to Norway.
When Sweden played for the Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo 2021, the Norwegians won by 17 points (19–36) – Blågult's biggest loss in history against the neighboring country.
"Of course it would have felt better if we lost by one goal, but it wouldn't have done much in terms of the table," says 35-year-old Roberts.
The situation of taking a top two place in the middle round was precarious even before the less funny Norway story. This was due to the loss to Brazil in the first group game.
We don't really have time to dig in. There's not much we can take away from the Norway match, but now we need to focus on winning the next few games.
Sweden must take full pot against South Korea and Angola, while Brazil must not take more points in its two completed matches. If the trio of Sweden, Brazil and Angola are on six points, goal difference in head-to-head matches will decide the fight for a World Cup quarter-final.
“Tentative all autumn”
"I don't see it as an impossibility that Angola will win against Brazil," says Roberts.
At the same time, the hope of a quarter-final could be extinguished even before the meeting with South Korea on Friday evening. In the afternoon, Brazil–Angola is played – Brazilian points there and Sweden cannot advance.
After four World Cup matches - what level have you reached in terms of play?
Absolutely not our full potential, says Roberts and continues:
It's been a bit tentative all fall, actually. We're still looking for some kind of flow.
The intermediate round of the Women's Handball World Championship in the Netherlands and Germany continues.
Current standings: Norway 6 points, Brazil 6, Angola 4, Sweden 2, South Korea 0, Czech Republic 0.
Sweden's played and upcoming matches in the intermediate round (Dortmund):
December 3: Norway 26–39.
December 5: South Korea at 6:00 p.m.
December 7: Angola 6:00 p.m.
The top two teams in the four groups in the intermediate round will advance to the quarterfinals on December 10. If two or more teams end up tied on points, head-to-head matches will decide.
